Mark Dantonio senses something different, something better, about his football team as he enters his third year at the Cincinnati helm.

“I’m very optimistic about where we’re at,” Dantonio said last week, as his team prepped for its opener against 1-AA Eastern Kentucky this Saturday. “I look at the other teams we play and look at their personnel and look at where we were last year in some of those games. We’ve just got to be able to finish.”

And they’ve got to be able to overcome an extremely tough schedule if the Bearcats are to improve on last year’s 4-7 record. Forget Eastern Kentucky; look at what awaits Dantonio and his boys in the weeks that follow. Cincy has to play four preseason Top 25 -- Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Louisville and West Virginia -- on the road.

Heck, Week 2 won’t be a picnic – the Bearcats hosting Pittsburgh in the Big East opener for both teams.

For now, Dantonio, who is trying to get the community involved in UC football, is focusing on Game 1. “They’re an excellent football team and we’ll be challenged,” he says of Eastern Kentucky.

His own team came through fall camp, “healthy and ready to go,” and now he has to hope his guys are really ready to play a 1-AA opponent, especially with all the tough games lying ahead on the schedule. “We have experience back at almost every single position,” Dantonio said. “That should make us a better football team. We should be a greatly improved football team.”

Now, if the schedule would have been just a bit easier …

Dantonio announced Monday he will start Justin Grutza at quarterback this week, but added Nick Davila will also play.

“We’re going to play both of them until this plays itself out,” the coach said.

SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Just a matter of days before the opening game, Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio still wasn’t ready to name a starter at quarterback. Incumbent Dustin Grutza and senior Nick Davila still were battling it out until this week. But he did name Grutza Monday, sort of. Both will play. “Both have improved and they’re still battling for the quarterback position,” the coach said, stating he has confidence in both. But an offense that enters the year with two No. 1s? Many say if you have two, you really have none, so we’ll see which of these two steps forward.

SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: LB Corey Smith, an All-Big East second-teamer, is likely out of the opener with a hamstring, leaving Dantonio with an uncertain depth chart. There are two outstanding players in the secondary in Mike Mickens and Haraku Nakamura – and the Bearcats return 10 of the 11 starters (counting

Smith) on this side of the ball, where they started six freshmen a year ago.

QUOTE TO NOTE: “We have more skill right now than we’ve had in the last two years. There are a couple of questionable positions that are trying to solidify themselves, but I think we’re in pretty good shape.” –-Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio

THIS WEEK’S GAME: Eastern Kentucky at Cincinnati, Sept. 2 -- Cincinnati coach Mark Dantonio says it will be a challenge for his team against the visitors from the Ohio Valley Conference – the first meeting ever between the two teams. But while Cincy is playing a team that has marquis 1-AA performers, it’s still 1-AA -- and any chance the Bearcats have of doing anything at the start of this tough schedule is a home win, at night, Saturday.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: QBs Dustin Grutza and Nick Davila -- Just five days before the opener, Dantonio wasn’t able to tell the world (or at least wouldn’t) who the starter would be in the opener. Is that a sign of strength and depth, or a sign of weakness? That remains to be seen, but you know the coach wants one of these two kids to become the real starter.

CB Mike Mickens –- Last year, Mickens finished second nationally in passes defended (1.50) and earned second team All-Big East honors – as a true freshman. He is now a real leader on a defense that returns 10 of 11 starters.

WR Derrick Stewart –- Regardless of who winds up as the starting quarterback, the return of Stewart, academically ineligible last season, has to be a plus for this offense. “I think he is a difference maker,” says Dantonio. “He’s a punt returner. He’s got exceptional speed. When he gets the ball in his hands, he gets it going.”

ROSTER REPORT: In addition to starting the first game week without a true starter at quarterback, Dantonio didn’t know about the availability of starting LB Corey Smith, who was nursing a hamstring injury. The Butkus Award candidate is listed on the depth chart and will be evaluated through the week.

--RB Mike Daniels has been lost for the season with ACL surgery.

--Dantonio said “eight or nine” players could see their first college action in the game against Eastern Kentucky, with the only newcomers battling for starting jobs linemen Ken Rodriguez and Mario Duenas (both junior college transfers). Last year, the Bearcats had 10 true freshmen and 11 redshirt frosh make their debuts.

--True freshman Jamar Howard, a local product, is expected to be the No. 5 wide receiver.